Chest for tools.



No. 739,451. PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

F. J. SCHWARTZ.

CHEST FOR TOOLS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 27. 1903.

H0 MODEL. 2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

Hdiiges cs Kw I 6, i 1 2w v eAlfonyzys PATENTBD SEPT. 22, 1903.

F. J. SCHWARTZ. I

CHEST FOR TOOLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

. rd l I l fie. 739,451.

v UNITED STATES- iatented September 22, 1909;;

PATENT OFFICE.

CHEST FOR ooLs.

. s'eaeirieeenea formin partof Letters Patent No. 739,451, dated September 22, 1903.

' Application filed May 27, 1903. Serial No- 159,007. (No model.) I

To a. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK JosHEP SCHWARTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longview, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chests for Tools,of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to tool-chests, and has for its objects to produce a device of this character containing a plurality of movable compartments for the reception of different classes of tools, in which the said compartments are so connected operatively with the chest lid or cover that when the latter is opened the various compartments will be automatically moved to positions for displaying the toolswhich they contain and permitting ready access, thereto, and one in which the operation of closing the lid serves to automatically return the compartments to their normal positions prior to the'complete closing of the lid, whereby it may be seen that the compartments are in their proper positions before final sealing of the chest. With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel details of con: struction and combination of parts more, fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved chest open. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic viewshowing the position of the parts when the chest is open. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the chest partly closed and the compartments fully closed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.1

2, the parts being in closed position. 7

. Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of my improved chest, which is composed of a front wall 2, a rear wall 3, end walls 4 and 5, and a bottom 6.

7 indicates the lid or cover, which is pivoted tothe body, asat 8, and consists of a frontwall 9, a rear wall 10, end walls 11 and 12, and a top 13, said cover being divided by a central longitudinal partition 14, to which latter is pivote'dfor hinged, as at 15, a movable compartment 16 ,herein termed the .sawcompartment, While there is also hinged to the partition,'as at 17, a ,movablecompartment 18, herein termed the ,bit-compart-Y ment. I'. These compartmentslG l8'nominally lie closed Within the cover 7 and are swung outward therefrom simultaneously with the 1 raising of the coverin the manner presently The finger 22 1 bolt from its keeper in the manner hereinafter described.

The body of the chest is provided with a fixed compartment 24, herein termed the plane-compartment, and with a movable compartment 25, herein termed the gage compartment, and with a second movable compartment 26, herein termed the miscel= laneous compartment, which latter is hinged or pivoted to the front Wall 2 of the chest, as at 27 In fact, the upper half of the wall 2-constitutes the bottom of the compartment 26.

- The saw and bit compartments 16 18 are opened and closed automatically and simul-- taneously with the openingandclosing of the lid 7 by means of suitable link .connections between said compartments at eachend and the respective ends of the chest, and inasmuch as these link connections are exact duplicates at each end of the chest I will describe but one, in detail. In these link connections, 28

indicates a primary link which is pivoted, as

at 29, to the end wall of the cover and at 30 to the end ,of compartment 18 and is provided with a fixed curved arm or extension 31, connected by a link 32 with the saw-compartment 16. The arm 31 is pivotally connected with the link 32 by a rivet or the like, 33, traveling in a slot 34, and'the link is intu'rn pivoted at 35 to the end wall of the. lid or cover 7 and is further connected to compartment 16 by a slot-and-stud connection, as at 36. The compartment 18is connected withthe body of the chest by means of a pair of links 37 3S,v which are pivoted together at 39, the link 37 being pivoted to the end wall of the compartment at. the point. 30 and the link 38 to the ICO end wall of the chest at 40. The inner end of the link 37 is beveled or inclined to form a cam-face 41, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

5 42 is a latch-link pivoted at 43 to the link 38 and provided at its free end with a notch 44, which when the parts are in open position engages with a stud or keeper 45, carried by the end wall of the chest, the latch 42 being held into engagement with the keeper by means of a spring 46, mounted upon a curved guide-arm 47, secured to the link 38 and sliding in a perforated stud or ear 48, carried by the latch-link 42. The link 42 is eccentrically pivoted and is provided at its upper end with an inclined or cam face 49, which during the closing of the cover 7 is acted upon the camface 41 of link 37 to release to notch 44 from the keeper 45, as will be readily understood,

:0 the arm 42 being automatically moved to latching position by the spring 46 when the parts are in the opened position.

For actuating the movable compartments 26 to open and close them automatically 25 and simultaneously with the opening and closing of the cover and other compartments I provide a system of links comprising a primary link 50, pivoted at 51 to a transverse partition 52, mounted in the bodyof the chest.

0 This link is connected at its upper end by a strap 53 with the movable bit-compartment 1 8, the strap being pivoted to the compartment at 54 and held in engagement with the link A 50 by transverse pins 55. The link 50 is con- 3 5 nected by an intermediate link 56 witha secondary link 57, pivoted at 58 to the partition 52 and at its outer end, as at 59, to a link 60, which is in turn pivoted at 61 to the end wall of the compartment 26.

The compartments 25 26 arehingedly or pivotally connected, as at 62, and the compartment 25 is provided with a stud 63 of cylindrical form, which projects outward from its end wall and travels in a curved guideway 64, formed upon the inner face of the end wall 5 of the chest-body.

65 is a guide plate or member which is secured by screws or otherwise to the partition 52 and has a longitudinal channel 66, in which is loosely mounted a spring 67, through which extendsa rod 68, pivoted at its outer end, as at 69, to the lower end of the link 50 and provided with hearing arms or members 70 71, disposed at opposite ends of the spring 67.

When the parts are in the open position, as in Fig. 2, the head 70 bears upon the outer end of spring 67 and compresses the same against the inner end of the guide-channel 66, and with the parts in this position movement of the lid 7 toward closing position causes the curved arm 31 of link 28 to move in the direction indicated by the arrow, which swings the link 32 upon its pivot and causes its outer end to swing inward in the direction of the arrow, moving the compartment 16 into the cover. At the same time the link 28 swings inward in the direction of the arrow thereon, moving the compartment 18 inward to its position within the cover and causing the links 37 38 to break joint at their pivotal point and the cam-face 41 to actuate the latch-arm 42, as above described. As the compartment 18 swings inward it exerts a pull upon the upper end of lever 50 through the medium of strap 53, which action moves the lower end of said lever in the direction of the arrow thereon and through the medium of links 56, 57, and 60 swings the compartment 26 inward upon its pivot in the direction indicated by the arrow, which movement causes said compartment, through its pivotal connection with compartment 25, to move the latter inward and downward, the latter being guided in such movement by stud 63, traveling in guide 64, until the parts reach the position illustrated inFi g. 3,

at which time the lid or cover 7 will be but half closed, thus permitting inspection of the compartmentstobe sure thatthere is no disarrangement of the parts prior to final and complete closing of the cover. In this connection it is to be noted that as the lever 50 swings upon its pivot 51 during the closiu g operation it draws the rod 68 outward, moving the head 70 away from the spring 67 and permitting the same to expand, which action of the spring materially assists the operation and relieves the operator of any undue exertion or output of strength inv manipulating the device. Toward the final of the opening movement the head 71 on the rod 68 comes in contact with the spring 67 and again compresses the same, whereby it will be in condition to assist in the closing of the device. When the device is closed, as in Fig. 4, and it is desired to open the same, the lid 7 is grasped and raised and a reversal of the above-described move ments follows; but it is to be noted in this connection that at the beginning of the opening operation the link 38 engages the finger 22 of the latch-bolt 19 and withdraws the latter from its keeper 20 to release the compartment 18 and permit the latter to swing freely toopen position.

72 72 are a pair of rubber blocks attached to the wall of compartment 26, as seen in Fig. 3, and adapted when the chest is closed to bear upon the outer wall of compartment 16 for pressing same securely to position in the lid. These blocks serve the additional function of preventing the lid entirely closing except when pressure is applied upon the same. By this means the lid of the chest, which latteris provided with a spring-lock, (not shown,) may remain in substantially closed position without the lock springinginto engagement therewith.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a device which is simple of construction, efiicientin operation, inexpensive to produce, and one which in practice will admirably perform its functions for the attainment of the ends in view; but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise details herein shown and described, inasmuch as various changes may be made therein with out departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with a chest having a pivoted lid or cover, of a plurality of pivoted compartments, mechanism actuated by the opening or closing of the lid to automatically move the compartments to open or closed position, a latch member operable for automatically lockin g the parts in open position, and" means for automatically releasing the latch at the beginning of the closing movement.

2. The combination with a chest having a pivoted lid or cover, ofa plurality of pivotedcompartments, link connections between said pivoted lid or cover, of-apivoted saw-compartment and a pivoted bit-compartment car-- ried" by the lidand closing therein, a latchbolt carried by the bit-compartment for automatically locking the same in closed position, and link connections between said parts for automatically opening and closing the compartments by the opening and closing of the lid, one of said links being adapted to actuate the latch during the opening movement of the lid to automatically release the bit-compartment.

' 4; The combination with a chest having a pivoted lid or cover, of a pair of pivoted movable compartments carried by the lid, a pair of operatively-connected movable compartments carried by the chest, link connections between said parts actuated by the opening and closing of: the lid to automatically move the compartments to open and closed. osi-'.

tion, a rod connected with one of the'links, and a spring mounted upon the rod andacting upon the same to assist boththe opening.

FRANK JOSHEP SCHWARTZ.

-Witnesses:

MICHAEL MILLER, I J OHN GAssER; 

